We recently had the privilege of interviewing Meraj Hasan, a Strategic Marketing & Communications Professional in Dubai, UAE. Alongside Meraj’s diverse range of rich expertise for over two decades spans creative agencies, corporate houses, categories, brands, and countries, he is also a best-selling author a music journalist and a successful podcaster.
Meraj is highly skilled in providing ROI-driven business results and customer insights, with a strong enthusiasm for building and sculpting brands. In this interview, Meraj Hasan speaks about his advent in this field, facing challenges, encouraging innovation in the services, and making time for his other passions, while offering valuable suggestions for beginners relevant to this field.
The Beginning
We started the interview by asking, “Could you start by telling us about your professional career path?”
Meraj Hasan shared, “After passing out of the B-school in India, I started my career in the Indian advertising industry working with global network agencies and then later moved to the client side with corporates like Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Welspun Group. Working as a strategist and a marketing professional, I launched and built brands like Tata Sky, Airtel, Idea Cellular, Reliance Jio, Renault, Harpic, Welspun & Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in India, Sri Lanka, South East Asia and Middle East.
I moved to Dubai about 3 years ago to explore the booming Middle East region. Since then, I have worked on some very juicy and challenging marketing projects in Dubai, KSA, and India. As an independent consultant, I have the flexibility to play with my time and choose the right project and that gives me the ability to focus my energies in the appropriate directions. Right now, I have 3 live projects across Dubai, KSA & India and that’s keeping me quite occupied, to say the least.”
Overcoming The Barriers
Every business comes across certain inevitable challenges. To learn how Meraj Hasan ensures overcoming them efficiently, we inquired, “What have been the most significant barriers you’ve overcome, and how have these challenges influenced your professional philosophy?”
Meraj Hasan responded, “Every phase of my career came with its own challenges. For example, when I moved to Dubai after having built a highly successful career in India for 20 years, the challenge was to start from scratch in a new region with no or little network. When I moved to the P&L role as the Head of Marketing for Welspun Group, the challenge was to take on accountability for every dollar spent on marketing initiatives. When I decided to turn into an independent marketing consultant, the challenge was to manage my expenses without the assured end-of-the-month salary that I was so used to.
But what has always helped me sail through these challenges is this inherent desire to learn and do something new. The other aspect that has helped me overcome the challenges is the ability to navigate through situations by finding creative solutions. The mix of these two has become a sort of motto for me – Keep learning and keep navigating.”
Promoting Innovative Approaches
Businesses must foster innovation within the workforce if they are to achieve long-term success. So, we asked, “How do you foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation in your working style as an independent consultant?”
Emphasizing the importance of learning, Meraj Hasan shared, “Continuous learning – both academically and hands-on is the only way to go ahead in life, professionally or personally. Technology is shaping and changing the world of marketing with every passing minute and every marketer must keep track through constantly upgrading his or her skills. And that’s something I try to keep track of.
But it doesn’t end there because the learning has to be applied to see the results in real life. The transparency in ROI because of the tech advancement (Performance marketing, Google Analytics, CRM, WhatsApp Marketing, SEO, etc.) is exciting, and applying the same to my client’s business is where the game becomes real.”
Customer Feedback And Insights
To learn more about how Meraj Hasan’s business is impacted by client insights, we questioned, ‘“What role has customer feedback played in shaping the direction of your services?”
He shared, “Well, it is the cornerstone of my offerings. My customers are at two levels – one is my client whose products or services I support from the marketing side to help add to the business’s revenue and brand equity. I can’t do justice to the brand and marketing strategy unless I understand my client’s vision, purpose, and business model. So, their feedback and insights are tremendously critical.
At another level, I will not be able to help sell my client’s product or service unless I understand who the target audience for these products or services is and they become my other set of customers. Understanding their need gaps, insights and lifestyle is critical to make my client’s offerings relevant and attractive to them from a marketing & communications perspective.”
Current Services Of Meraj Hasan
We were eager to learn more about the services offered by Meraj Hasan and his upcoming projects. So, we asked, “Could you tell us more about your services and if you have any upcoming plans regarding them?”
Meraj Hasan passionately shared, “These are the services that I provide to my clients:
- Fundamental Brand Strategy: This includes establishing the brand with its Vision, Mission, Values, Personality, Tonality, Logo, Typography & Colour Palette. This is highly relevant to start-ups and SMEs in the run to get the funding and revenues coming in – getting the brand narrative right.
- Communications Framework and Media: This includes brand positioning and structured communication pillars which are essential for targeting different audiences on various media platforms. A strong execution of the brand narrative is crucial for effective storytelling, and creative execution that is led by quality freelancers in Dubai and India.
- Strategic and Creative Brand Guidance: Brand counseling to the businesses in the long and short term for optimum creative and business results, adding to the brand equity.
My services can be one of the above or a combination of two or all three, depending on the client’s requirements and the budget. Currently, I am flying solo but in the future, I might be needing a team, depending on the workload.”
Gaining Fresh Perspectives
We further asked, “Apart from the professional pursuits, what else do you do to keep yourself going?”
He continued, “Well, I am mesmerized by the world of art and aesthetics; it’s the finest creation of mankind and I try to keep myself actively engaged with it. Two years ago I wrote a book of poems that became a bestseller in India. I host a successful Spotify podcast on great poets and their works and I am also an amateur music journalist. This creative alter-ego of mine which goes by the pseudonym, ‘meem’, balances my professional side and gives me newer perspectives.
Currently, I am working on my next book of poems – a bilingual in English and Hindustani. I am also a lover of fitness with yoga and meditation being a part of my daily routine.”
Tips For Beginners
Lastly, addressing the aspiring professionals, we asked, “Would you like to give beginners in the same industry some advice?”
Meraj Hasan shared, “Firstly, find good mentors and they will help you find yourself and the areas that you can bloom in; they will help you find your magic. Also, work on varied categories and geographies – from soaps to bikes to chocolates to airlines in different regions of the world (if possible) to gather a holistic experience.
Moreover, have yearly milestones in place and have a plan to achieve the same. At the year-end take stock of what you have achieved and what went wrong and learn from your mistakes. And, never stop learning. Learning comes from anywhere and everywhere – teachers, colleagues, technology, books, courses, travel, etc. Navigate through the challenges by finding creative solutions to the problems, because there’s always a way out. And lastly, always have a Plan B.”
Follow Meraj Hasan on LinkedIn.
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